Luang Prabang

Our two-day slow boat down the Mekong finished in the beautiful town of Luang Prabang. Our first ‘real’ stop in Laos and widely referred to as the jewel in Laos’ crown. It has deservedly gained its name, with its easygoing, back water charm, delightful low rise wooden buildings shouting of its colonial heritage, alongside its plethora of Buddhist temples, the French influenced bakeries offering fresh bread and croissants, the coffee shops dotted along the banks of the Mekong, the plush wine bars dotted along the central street, the daily night market with its vibrant colours and rich smells, its small artisan boutiques offering artwork, jewellery, clothing and more. The former Lao capital, has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries and we loved Luang Prabang from the moment we arrived and started exploring its labyrinth of little streets.

These are some of our favourite things about Luang Prabang, or our favourite moments:

The traditional morning alms ceremony. A fascinating insight into Buddhist life and a real sight to behold. As the sun rises in the early morning mists, after chanting and prayers, the monks make their way out of their temples and walk barefoot through the streets, receiving offerings of small donations, sticky rice, sweets and more from local people already lining the streets waiting for them – much like the ceremony we experienced in Pakbeng – but on a much bigger scale. Having been told of recent tourist interference in this sacred ritual, disturbing both monks and locals alike, we respectfully kept our distance and watched  from afar as we would recommend anyone else to do.

A House Blessing. 

We were also treated to and watched, again keeping a respectful distance, a gathering in the house across the road from our hotel. Led by a handful of monks and the house packed with what we can only assume were friends and family, this was an intriguing ceremony. I tried to get the background from the reception lady at the hotel, but it was difficult to get the details…my Lao is pathetic!! The chanting was comfortingly beautiful and we took a recording of it that you can listen to here if you want to.

The tourist night market. Where lots of sellers tout traditional Lao handicrafts, from snakes in bottles of alcohol, to unique acrylic paintings to clothes, to handmade soaps and organic coffee, the range of goods on offer was immense and most definitely had something to offer for all tastes and budgets. We became proud owners of rings, cakes, sarongs, bracelets and if we’d had more room and didn’t need to carry it around for a year I easily could have bought much more!

The buildings. There is an old world charm in Luang Prabang and thanks to the town’s UNESCO status and UNESCO’s insistence that development of buildings surrounding are in-keeping with the traditional style it retains its lost world charm.

Climb Mount Phusi. 

Possibly the smallest mountain you will ever climb – in reality more of a hill – a trip to Luang Prabang is not complete without a trip up Mount Phusi. A 150m climb and 355 steps, right in the centre of Luang Prabang town, take you to the temple at the top where you can take in 360 degree views over the town, the Mekong and the surrounding Jungle.

 

Coffee and cake.

Leftover from French colonial influence, fresh baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolats as well as a range of other mouth watering cakes emanate from the cafes dotted along the streets, the smell of which was enticing us in (me in particular!). Combined with Lao grown organic coffee, served in iced form or hot, in any which way you might want it, a cafe stop is a must. We particularly loved the ‘Saffron Coffee’ social enterprise.

Saffron Coffee’s coffee beans are grown and produced entirely in northern Laos by 780 Lao smallholders/farming families, from whom it is sustainably sourced and directly traded. Saffron guarantees to buy the coffee ‘cherries’ from their farmers at above industry prices and all profit made is then reinvested for the benefit of Lao people making a direct difference to the lives of the farmers and their villages.

So, if you’re in Luang Prabang be sure to stop in for some seriously good quality coffee.

 

Big Brother Mouse. 

Finally, and probably the most precious experience of our time in Luang Prabang, and to be fair probably deserving of a post on its own, was volunteering at Big Brother Mouse. English speaking tourists are invited along to spend up to 2 hours each evening at the Big Brother Mouse classroom, exchanging English speaking with young Lao students – the students improve their English and you get to learn all about the Lao way of life. It is run as a charity and is free of charge to everybody that comes along.

I spent time chatting to a 16 year old Buddhist Novice Monk and a young 14 year old Lao student who had just moved from the country to Luang Prabang to study, leaving his family behind in their home village. Education plays a fundamental role in the escape from cycles of poverty and it is moving to see at what a young age Laotians understand this, and to hear about the sacrifices that the young people themselves and their families make to be able to provide themselves and their children with an education and the prospect of a better life.

So, would I go back to Luang Prabang? Most definitely. In a heartbeat.

 

Postscript: The three things that I would love to show you photos of  – the buildings, the market and the morning Alms ceremony – will have to remain a mystery for your imagination to resolve. Guttingly, due to an as yet unknown technical hitch I seem to have lost a series of photos! Sorry 😦